Always
by maxwell02
Summary: Totally AU Syelle: He was clueless and she was getting frustrated. What's a girl gotta do to get some attention?
1. Chapter 1

_AN: Due to some writer's block, I decided to work on some drabble stories centering around what Elle and Gabriel would be like if they were just two normal people. AU of course. _

_Hope you enjoy!_

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It was so fun to see him flustered like this. Elle had called Gabriel over to ask for his help with her radiator. It was broken and pouring so much heat into the apartment that she was dressed only in a tiny pair of shorts and a tank top that clung to her, even though it was the middle of winter in New York. When she opened the door to let him in, he stopped halfway through the door to stare at her and swallowed thickly.

She smiled internally. He was so adorable.

"It's right over there." She pointed at the radiator even though he already knew where it was from being in her apartment so many times before. He seemed to collect himself and nodded to her before heading off. She followed right behind him.

"See," she fiddled with the knobs of the radiator. "No matter what I do, I can't turn it off! It's been baking in here all day." She pouted up at him with big eyes. "Save me?"

To her amusement, Gabriel grinned back at her a bit wolfishly. "Depends. What do I get?"

"Ahem! Shouldn't saving the life of a damsel in distress be its own reward?"

"You know those knights in all those old stories got it on with all the women they saved afterwards."

Elle looked at him in surprise and he seemed to suddenly realize what he had just said.

"I meant –"

"You must be baking. Let me get you some lemonade!"

She hurriedly went to grab a glass of cold lemonade (made with real lemons just like he liked it) from the fridge in her tiny blue tiled kitchen. She paused for a moment on her way back to peak around the corner at him.

He was kneeling next to her radiator and she could already see the moisture forming on his forehead. With the heat hitting him at full blast, he seemed terribly uncomfortable in his collared dress shirt and sweater vest. As she watched, he set the metal box he had come in with (which she assumed contained tools) down next to him and began stripping off his sweater. Elle found herself holding her breath as he paused for a moment and then began unbuttoning his shirt. He did it so slowly she began to wonder if he knew she was watching. Was he teasing her? Did he know how she felt about him? Impossible! Gabriel Gray was as dumb as a rock when it came to her feelings.

When he had finished unbuttoning himself and peeled his shirt off to review a skin tight white tee shirt underneath, Elle made a strangled noise low in her throat. His head immediately whipped around and he spotted her standing in the kitchen doorway, openly staring at him. She felt her face heat up until it was the temperature of what she estimated must be at least a thousand suns.

"Is that for me?" he asked, his eyes immediately focusing on the cool drink in her hand.

"What…? Oh! Yes! Yes, right. Yes, it's for you. Yes." She mentally smacked herself. _Get a grip, Elle!_ She tried not to stare at him and his damnably tight tee shirt as she handed him the glass. He looked at her a bit oddly and she carefully plastered on a smiling, oblivious face.

"Thank you." She smiled at him in response and then watched him drink every drop of cool liquid in the glass. She turned her eyes away as he put the finished glass on the floor, mentally berated herself for ogling her oblivious best friend.

"Um, do you want some help with this?" She gestured to the radiator.

He looked back down at her radiator and began rummaging in his toll box. "No. Actually, it just looks like one of your knobs is missing is all. I can put a temporarily fix on it until I pick up a replacement for you."

"I can pick it up myself."

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye in amusement as he worked. "Do you know what to look for?"

"How hard is it to pick up a knob?" She said with an eye roll.

"Says the woman who's never been to a hardware store."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Great come back, Elle." He smiled at her teasingly through his glasses.

She wondered what he would do if she were to reach out and slide them off his face.

Before she could let herself go down that train of thought, she reached down to pick up his empty glass with a promise to bring him another. When she returned to the kitchen, she leaned against the wall out of his sight. Her eyes closed as she listened to him tinker with her radiator. The hand that was still wet with condensation from the glass smoothed over her forehead. Should she risk another peek at him? One more wouldn't hurt…

When she glanced around the corner, Gabriel was facing away from her so that only his profile was in view. Her eyes drank in the chiseled lines of his face.

Elle slowly leaned back into the kitchen to rest against the wall again. She blew some damp hair away from her face and thought.

She'd have to think of something extra nice she could do to thank him for his help.

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	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Don't forget, this story is completely AU! And because I forgot to mention last time, I do not own Heroes, Elle or Gabriel._

_Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! Love you all! :)_

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Elle Bishop slammed the door to her apartment shut and threw herself onto the small couch in her tiny living room with a grunt. She laid there with her arms thrown out for a long moment with her boots, scarf, coat and grocery bags in disarray and her hat hanging crookedly on her head before blowing some hair out of her face and kicking off all her snow gear. Gah, sometimes she really hated New York in the winter!

After clearing away all of her extra clothing and turning on the radiator to warm up her chilly apartment (the radiator now had a bright blue knob with smiley faces on it), she turned on her answering machine so she could listen to messages while putting her meager groceries away. There was only one.

*Beep*

"_Elle, works gonna be slow today with the snow so if you're still not feeling well, please stay at home and get some rest and we'll see you when you're feeling better."_

*Beep*

Elle smiled to herself in glee. It looked like she wouldn't have to brave the outdoors again for the rest of the day! She finished putting her things away and fixed herself some hot cocoa before propping herself back up on her couch, sniffling the entire time. She'd been fighting off a cold for the last few days and running around in the snow was not helping. She was tired and her nose felt raw and crusty from having blown it so often and she knew it was probably bright red from the cold. Elle hated being wet and cold.

Outside her window, she could see a shelf of snow covering the fire escape and early morning sunbeams made the fluffy piles glow blindingly white. Her tiny apartment was a welcome relief from the bitter temperature outside. It was decorated haphazardly with colorful knick knacks and blue and white furniture and there were books and other things strewn about that Gabriel had lent to her.

Her eyes slid over to one of her numerous barrowed books and she thumbed through it lightly, smirking as she did so. She would never have pegged Gabriel Gray as a lover of cat stories. She picked it up anyway and went to the window seat to read as she watched the snow fall.

A few hours later, she awoke to the sound of a key turning in her lock and realized she had fallen asleep. A quick look outside revealed that the sun was just setting. She had been asleep for hours! _Must have been more tired than I thought…_

She looked up to see Gabriel standing in her doorway.

"I knocked but you didn't answer so I let myself in." He held up the brown takeout bag in his hand. "I brought you dinner."

Elle rubbed the last of the sleep from her eyes (and discretely rubbed some of the drool from her face) but stayed where she was. She smiled and he watched the last rays of the setting sun hit her with their gold beams and light up her hair like a shinning halo.

"Thanks, Gabe, but you really didn't have to. I grabbed some groceries this morning." She watched him shut the door with his foot and then make himself at home, opening up her cabinets to pull down bowls, glasses and other utensils.

"Let me guess," he said in amusement, "soda and frozen pizza?"

"You think you know me so well," she huffed. "It's soda and frozen tamales this week."

"Good to see you're branching out," he told her condescendingly as he came over to pat her on the head. He held out his hand to help her up and when he pulled her to her feet, pulled more forcefully than she'd anticipated. She ran right into his chest, her body pressing up against him deliciously for a brief moment while she narrowly avoided smacking her forehead on his chin. His left arm came up to wrap around her waist to steady her and Elle's hands instinctively grabbed his biceps. Oh god! They felt rock hard! How the hell did he get so muscular working in a watch repair shop?!

"Hey, you feeling dizzy still?" Gabriel looked down at her in concern from inches away and Elle sagged in his arms. Yes, she felt dizzy! Most definitely dizzy.

She nodded, unable to speak. Her hands gripped his arms tighter, wrinkling his crisp white shirt. She couldn't decide if they wanted to pull him closer or shove him away before she did something she would regret. She felt the cool palm of his right hand glide over her forehead and closed her eyes in bliss, butterflies rising in her stomach.

"You're burning up. And you fell asleep next to the window of course." She could hear the disapproval in his voice. "C'mon." He guided her the few steps to the couch and pushed her down into it, piling blankets on top of her. Snuggled in a cocoon of warmth, Elle blinked up at him pitifully with big eyes and sniffled.

"You look like Rudolph." He smirked down at her.

_What?_

"You know, the reindeer? Because of your red nose and everything."

Geez, could he be a bigger jerk? They had been having a moment! Well, she had been enjoying one in any case.

"YES, Gabriel, I know what you mean."

"As long as you know. And you might want to put some Vaseline on that, it looks pretty raw."

"Thanks for your concern," Elle managed through gritted teeth. The butterflies in her stomach had now completely left. Why did he always have to tease her like that?

But just when she thought the mood had been completely broken, he pulled the coffee table up to her and set down a bowl of cream of chicken soup from her favorite restaurant down the street and she remembered why she loved him again. Mmm, nothing like chicken soup when you're feeling down!

He set down a glass of water and some flu tablets he had pulled out of somewhere (those couldn't be hers, could they?) and set another place for himself on the low table. She watched him sit down and fold his legs Indian style gracefully like he had been doing yoga for years. He pointed his finger at her.

"Finish your soup and then take your medicine."

"I've been taking my medicine!"

"Then why was the bottle still sealed?"

Elle pouted at him. Busted.

"I don't like drugs…"

"If you don't take them voluntarily, I will push you down and make you take them," he said sweetly with a smile on his face.

An image of Gabriel leaning over her, his big hands on her body immediately sprang to mind. She made a strangled sound in her throat and nodded to him quickly before her mouth could betray her with suggestions of all the things he could (please, please!) make her do.

When they were done (medicine and all), Elle blearily watched Gabriel clean up their meal even though she told him she'd take care of it in the morning. The warmth of the soup was making her sleepy again. Before she fell asleep completely, she mumbled thank you to him. He came to stand over her and she watched him closely as he adjusted her blankets until they were tucked in securely around her. Her chest ached a little at the sight of him so close. Why did he have to be so beautiful and so damned nice to her all the time?

"You're welcome," he murmured back and watched her eyes slide closed. He stood quietly watching her sleep for a few minutes before smoothing her bangs back from her face.

"Oh Elle, what am I gonna do with you?"

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	3. Chapter 3

_AN: Thanks to everyone for their wonderful comments and suggestions for this story! Hope you enjoy this next little chapter.  
_

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"You don't have to spend your Saturday helping me here," Gabriel told Elle.

"Gabriel, for the last time - I want to! And you said you could use the help so quit being so stubborn about it – or I'll start to think you don't like me here. And we both know that's just crazy." Elle put on her most charming smile and watched one of the corners of Gabriel's mouth slowly draw up until he was smiling the adorable half smile Elle loved so much.

"Okay. You're right…and I'd love some help."

Elle tapped him playfully on the nose and her grin became even wider.

"Damn straight, I'm right!"

With the holidays coming up, Gabriel's shop had been receiving more customers than usual. Everyone seemed to need repairs or had special requests and he had been placing more orders for one of a kind watches and clocks than ever before. There seemed to be a resurgence of interest in hand crafted items and the timepieces that Gabriel lovingly produced himself were all unique and truly were heirloom quality. But, while their gaining popularity was good for business, it was difficult for him alone to work on orders and man the shop for regular business.

For Elle, it was the perfect opportunity to insinuate herself into Gabriel's "natural habitat" and secretly observe him at his most oblivious.

She spent the day going through and balancing his books and then cleaning his already clean shop (Gabriel kept his shop meticulously clean even when he was too busy to bother picking out matching socks). She took orders and tried to help customers as best as she could and only called him out from the back when absolutely necessary.

Who knew working at a watch shop could be so exhausting!

Finally, when the last customer had left and Elle was able to flip the little shop sign to read "closed," she made her way to the back where Gabriel had been for most of the day to collect her reward for being such a super helper – uninterrupted, unadulterated, no holds barred quality time with Mr. Gabriel Gray!

She propped herself up on a stool next to Gabriel to watch him catch up on repairs, leaning over his work desk as he tinkered with watches and made little "hmm" and "ahh" sounds while he worked. When he was like this, he would murmur quiet explanations and instructions to her. His voice was so soothing that she tried to stay as quiet as possible. He'd ask for things like tweezers or winders or the demagnetizer and hold his hand out without ever taking his eyes off of his work and she would hand them all to him seriously and murmur things back like "yes, doctor" or "how's the patient coming, sir?" She loved coaxing tiny smiles out of him as he would reply, "I think he'll make it."

His hands were steady and precise as he gracefully operated. Her eyes drank him in lovingly from the top of his carefully combed head down past his gorgeous face and crazy work goggles to his carefully pressed pants and slightly scuffed sneakers and thought about how she wouldn't mind spending every Saturday like this. Without even thinking of it, she reached out with her hand to gently rub the tiny crease that formed on his brow when he worked. He looked up at her in surprise and her hand froze in midair for a moment.

"What are you doing?"

"Um, you have a wrinkle. Right there," she pointed. Instantly, he looked flustered and Elle put her hands in her lap nervously. Damn her disobedient hands!

"Oh… Does it look that bad?" He took off his goggles and self consciously rubbed at his forehead, leaving a tiny grease streak.

"No! No, not at all. It's cute." His face brightened immediately.

"You think I'm cute?"

"I didn't say that." His face fell. Elle blanched at her stupidity. _This is your chance! Tell him you think he's cute!_

"I, I uh…um…" His face held a questioning look on it as Elle mentally egged herself on. _Do it! Do it now!_

"You, um, you have some grease on your face," she blurted out. _Coward!_ "It's um, it's right there."

"Oh." She handed him a napkin and he wiped it off. "Thanks." They stared at each other for a moment. He looked down at his mostly completed work and mentally collected himself before looking back up.

"Thanks for helping me today. I've gotten a lot done."

Elle allowed herself to relax and beamed at him. "No problem. I'm glad I could help _you_ for once."

He smiled back at her and then tilted his head towards the door. "Let's get outta here. I'm starving."

"Me too."

"Feel like Italian?"

"Depends. You buying?" Elle wiggled her brows at him. Gabriel laughed at her silently.

"Of course."

Elle hopped off of her stool to collect her things. As soon as she was safely in the front room, she grabbed her purse from under the counter and then discretely banged her head on it while she berated herself. _Elle, you are going to end up an old maid!_


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: Sorry for the long wait on this! Hope you enjoy and and a special thank you to di_elle for suggesting that swimming is how Gabriel stays in shape._

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"That's unacceptable, Elle."

Elle simply shrugged dismissively. They were lounging on the couch in her living room on their usual movie night, watching Jaws and eating Chinese takeout. Elle was leaning with her back against the arm of the couch and had managed to sneak her feet into Gabriel's lap by pouting that they were cold.

Gabriel stared at her in disbelief. "I can't believe you don't know how to swim!"

"I never cared for the water. And most of the time, it's too cold to go to the beach anyway. What's the big deal?" She held her breath and then casually wiggled down a bit more, inching her feet more securely onto his lap to see what his reaction would be. Gabriel grabbed the blanket off the floor to wrap around her legs. She beamed at him in thanks.

"What if you were ever in a boating accident and had to swim to shore?" He looked at her disapprovingly. "What would you do then? You'd _drown_, Elle. You'd drown."

"First of all, I've never even been on a boat, and secondly, there's this handy new invention called a life preserver. Really nifty for the buoyantly challenged."

"You can't count on those things to save you."

"Well, you'd save me, wouldn't you?"

Gabriel's cheek's reddened slightly. "Of course I would...but I might not be there."

"I'm sure some other strapping young lad would help me out."

"I'm teaching you how to swim," Gabriel told her flatly.

"Gabriel, I'm unteachable. I'd sink like a rock!"

"You'll do fine. Tomorrow morning, Ten AM, I'm taking you down to my club."

"Fine," she replied while rolling her eyes at him, huffing as if she were doing him a huge favor. He smiled at her triumphantly. When he turned his head back to watch the rest of the movie, Elle smiled and secretly cheered. She had to physically restrain herself from bouncing up and down in delight. Gabriel was going to teach her how to swim! She was going to see him without a shirt, in shorts, all wet...oh God, it was like a dream come true. And the best part was, he had suggested it himself!!! She turned her head back towards the TV but couldn't focus on the rest of the story as thoughts of wet, slippery fun ran through her head.

Tomorrow was going to be the Best. Day. Ever.

---

At promptly ten, Gabriel knocked on her door. He grinned when she opened it to reveal that she was fully dressed with a bag slung over her shoulder.

"Ready to go?" he asked. Ready? She had been ready for hours!

"Yep!" she chirped. "Let's go."

Once they arrived at the swim club Gabriel belonged to, Elle made a beeline for the woman's locker room. She quickly stripped off the dress she had thrown on that morning and stuffed all her belongings into a locker. Turning to inspect herself in the full length mirror, she propped her hands up on her hips. She had on a white two piece swim suit that showed off her body to perfection. _Damn, I look good. _A huge grin spread across her face and her eyes gleamed in anticipation. Gabriel didn't stand a chance.

He had told her to meet him at the training pool when she finished changing so she made her way there. She received quite a few appreciative looks on the way, boosting her already positive mood. By the time she reached her destination, she was positively humming with energy.

All that deflated when she saw Gabriel chatting with a gorgeous brunette next to the pool. Elle watched in stunned dismay as the brunette reached up and casually laid her hand on Gabriel's chest, throwing her head back and laughing in delight at something he had said. Ugh, could the tramp _be _any more obvious! Elle saw red. No skanky pool hussy was going to touch her man! He may not know it yet, but he was taken. She marched over grimly, throwing on a wide grin as soon as they saw her approach.

"Hi," she said cheerfully. "I'm Elle." She casually reached over and slipped her palm into Gabriel's. She ignored his startled greeting, keeping her gaze on the brunette bimbo. Bimbo looked at her in surprise.

"Oh. I'm Debbie. Gabby doesn't usually bring guests here." Gabby?? Elle looked at Gabriel incredulously. He winced a bit and shrugged discretely before turning to Debbie.

"I'm teaching Elle how to swim so I'll see you later."

"I hope so." Debbie smiled up at him one last time and turned to go, swaying her hips a bit more than Elle thought was really necessary. When they were alone again, Elle turned to Gabriel with a raised eyebrow.

"_Gabby?_"

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "I've asked her not to call me that. It's annoying." And suddenly, Elle's good mood was back again. No dumb female was going to ruin _her _day.

"So," she took a deep breath and beamed up at him. "You're supposed to be teaching me."

Gabriel seemed to notice what she was wearing for the first time and did a slow glance down her body before dragging his eyes back up. Elle felt a moment of visceral triumph. There was no way she was mistaking the look in his eyes. He cleared his throat a bit and turned his eyes away from her.

"Are...you going to be able to swim in that?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" she said, propping her hands on her hips and grinning. He still wasn't looking at her. It was rather cute.

"Right. Okay," he shook his head a bit. "Well, let's get in the pool."

Elle turned away from him for a moment to look doubtfully down into the water. She stuck her toe in tentatively. She had completely forgotten her previous aversion to swimming. Sure she owned a cadre of swimsuits but that didn't mean anything. They were for lounging, not swimming! "It's warm," she said in surprise.

Gabriel smiled at her mischievously. "Yeah, lucky for you."

"What do you - ahhhhh!" Gabriel had picked her up and tossed her into the water so quickly, she barely had time to close her mouth before water rushed up all around her. Her head bobbed up and she had a moment of panic as her arms flailed about uselessly. She heard a splash as he jumped in beside her.

"Gabriel!" she sputtered, half angry, half terrified. And then, he was right beside her, his hands on her waist, lifting her and steadying her under the water. She turned to him and threw her arms around his neck.

"Elle," he gasped. "Let go, you're choking me -" She held on even tighter, worried that he would let her go if she released him. Her body pressed up tightly against his as she clung to him like a monkey on a tree branch.

"It's too deep, Gabriel, I'll sink if you let go!"

"It's only five feet, Elle."

"I'm only 5'1"!"

"Let go, Elle. I'd never let you drown."

She pulled her head back to look him in the eye, her arms loosening slightly but still firmly anchored around his neck. Her breath caught. He was looking at her in the most beautiful way. His hair was slicked back from the water and a smile lit his eyes and face. Water clung to his long lashes as his wonderfully brown eyes gazed at her tenderly in reassurance.

He was beautiful.

They stayed that way for a long moment, oblivious to everyone around, simply holding each other in the intimate quiet of the pool, their gazes locked as the water gently lapped against them. Elle slowly became aware of every warm, wet and delicious inch of him that was pressed up against her and felt parts of her that she had never even known existed heat up and turn to goo. One of his hands gently smoothed down her back starting from the apex of her shoulders down to the small of her waist as he watched her in wonder and she nearly moaned. Her eyes dragged down to his mouth and she saw him visibly swallow. The moment had come. She could see the slow dawn of realization creep into his eyes as she continued to hold him gently now, no longer afraid. She knew that she was letting everything she felt for him show on her face but she couldn't help it. Oh God, she was going to die if he didn't kiss her...

"Elle," he whispered huskily, uncertainly. "I -"

*SPLASH!*

Elle gasped as a wave of water washed over them. They turned to see that a group of children had jumped into the training pool. They shrieked and splashed each other, filling up the entire facility with laughter while their instructor stood over them, sternly telling them to stop causing a ruckus and settle down. Gabriel turned to her and shakily unlocked her arms from around his neck, keeping his gaze turned away, his face and neck bright red.

"Ready to try floating?" he asked her raspingly after clearing his throat a few times, primly placing his hands back on her waist. And suddenly, she was looking at the averted face of her friend, Gabriel Gray. Elle nodded, at a loss for what to say. The intimate moment that they had shared a second ago was clearly gone, replaced by what, she wasn't sure. Gabriel began giving her instructions on how to float on her back in a thorough manner and she knew that she wouldn't be able to recapture that moment with him again that day. She swallowed her disappointment and tried to pay attention to what he was saying.

But she couldn't forget what had just happened. Or rather, almost happened.

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_AN: I hope you all enjoyed that! I too cannot swim, and everytime someone tries to teach me, I react the same way._


	5. Chapter 5

_AN: Great scott! It's been a long time since I've updated this story. I've been having some problems trying to figure out what to write next and must have written 3-4 different scenarios for this next chapter. So, I hope you enjoy this and feel that it's in the same vein as the rest of the story so far. _

_Special thanks to Lamies for keeping me motivated and for the suggestions._

_Thanks for reading as always!  
_

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**Chapter 5**

"So, um…thanks for the lesson, Gabe."

"You're welcome. You did a great job. You'll be conquering the Hudson in no time." He smiled down at her with his mouth turned up at the corners in a grin, his intense eyes like twin beam cannons pinning her in place.

Elle tried valiantly to corral the butterflies currently doing trampoline gymnastics in her stomach as she looked up at him. They were standing in the open doorway of her apartment. The car ride home after her lesson had been awkward (for her at least) and filled with none of the relaxed familiarity that she was used to feeling whenever she was around Gabriel. She had tried several times to say something (anything!) meaningful about their lesson but every time she turned to him, images of his half naked, water slicked body had risen to mind and she had found herself flustered and tongue-tied. She was wracked with torment over the same question that she was always asking herself. How do you tell your best friend that you are in love with him? And then, assuming that that goes well, that you desperately want to jump his bones? It was too much to think about! And now, after spending the entire ride home trying to tell herself to just focus on step number one (namely, tell Gabriel how you feel) instead of all the (hopefully) hot, steamy make-out time that would follow it that she had wasted the entire ride. Why did her hormones always have to get in the way? It was all Gabriel's fault of course. He just had to be one of those guys who still looked and smelled great even after an afternoon in a chlorine choked, prune-finger inducing pool. She was going to have to blindfold and suffocate herself if she wanted to stay indifferent to him long enough to tell him how she felt and even _that_ might not be sufficient. Damn his hot watchmaker's body!

Now, this was her last chance to just lay it all out on the line before today became just another day in a long series of months where she tried to drop him a hint and ended up getting nowhere.

It was do or die time!

"Gabriel, I –"

"Hey, guys." A deep, husky voice range out and Gabriel's head turned to see who was behind him. Elle turned her eyes skyward and forced down a frustrated groan. Of all the times for Peter to show up! Gabriel couldn't stand him for some reason and always made himself scare whenever he was around.

Taking a deep breath, Elle counted to five (she didn't have the patience to make it to ten) and then greeted the dark haired man coming down the hall.

"Hi, Peter," she and Gabriel both chorused. _Make it short and quick and he will go away._ _Don't look at him, just ignore him and he will keep on walking. _Peter came to a stop beside them, his face lit with the same sunny smile that seemed to be permanently tattooed onto his face.

"I haven't seen you in awhile, Elle. How's it going?" Gabriel frowned minutely and looked away and Elle felt the tiny butterflies in her stomach plummet and crash and burn as her moment with Gabriel was ruined. Again.

"Elle, I'm gonna get changed so I'll see you later. Bye, Peter." Gabriel turned and walked the short distance to his front door across the hall, expertly fitting his key into the lock and disappearing within without a backward glance. Elle was left with her mouth halfway open and his name still on the tip of her tongue. She sighed.

"I guess he was in a hurry."

"Of course he was. Story of my life," she muttered.

"Um, did I interrupt something?" Elle turned her eyes from Gabriel's door and looked at Peter for the first time. His brow was furrowed in concern. He was wearing a dark slouchy jacket and jeans with his hands tucked into his pockets. She sighed. He wasn't really a bad guy. He just happened to have the worst timing.

"Huh?"

"Is everything alright, Elle?"

"Yeah, I'm just peachy-keen. What's up, Petey?"

"Well, I haven't seen you in awhile. I thought maybe you were avoiding me." At her surprised look, the crooked smile returned to his face and he shrugged good-naturedly.

"Of course I'm not avoiding you! Why would I ever do that? We must just be missing each other, that's all. And I've been helping Gabriel out a lot at his shop…"

"Oh." The smile faltered on his face a bit before bouncing back. "Well, if you have some free time later, I'm having a party at my place tonight."

Elle hesitated a moment and glanced contemplatively at Gabriel's shut door. She had been hoping to finagle some time with Gabriel later but that was looking more and more unlikely by the minute.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun. What time should I be there? Should I bring anything?"

"It starts at eight but you can come anytime. Don't worry about bringing anything. Just…bring yourself. And ah, it's kind of a celebratory party so some of my family will be stopping by. I just finished my nursing program."

"That's great, Peter," Elle beamed at him and he reached up with one hand to rub against his neck in embarrassment. "Congratulations! I'll know who to call if I get bitten by the neighbor's cat again."

"Haha, well, you don't have to wait for that to –"

Elle never got to hear Peter finish his sentence. With a forceful bang, Gabriel seemed to explode out of his apartment and Elle let out a strangled 'eep!' as they both jumped at the sound of a loud slam. Gabriel had thrust the door to his apartment open and into the hall wall with enough force to leave a small, doorknob shaped dent in it. He looked down at the door as if in surprise and then looked back up at them through his eyelashes carefully.

"That, uh, that's been pretty loose lately. I've been meaning to get it fixed." Elle looked at him incredulously.

"Gabriel, what are you _doing_? Did you break your door?"

"Whoa! I think you just left a hole in the wall," Peter interjected helpfully.

"It's fine. Elle, come on, I'm buying you lunch like I promised." With that, he grabbed her oversized bag from her shoulder and hoisted it onto his own, gripping her shoulders with his large hands and guiding her down the hall back the way they had just come, ignoring the way she was digging her feet into the carpet instinctively to slow him down as Peter looked on in uncertainty.

"So I guess, I'll see you tonight then?" he shouted slightly as he watched their disappearing forms.

"Yeah, I'll see you later, Pete!" Elle managed to answer over her shoulder before glancing up and over at Gabriel in confusion. "When did you promise to buy me lunch?"

"I always buy you lunch. It was a given," he answered, still pushing her gently but inexorably from behind until they got to the elevator and he pushed the down button. Elle turned to face him while she straightened out her slightly twisted clothing from when Gabriel had manhandled her. She looked at him and then did a double take.

"Hey! You didn't even change!" He looked at her like a deer caught in the headlights for a moment before quickly recovering.

"I...all my clothes were dirty." She frowned at him.

"I just saw you do your laundry two days ago." The elevator dinged and she stepped in hastily when he lifted his hands again as if to push her in. He followed her silently and punched the down button, easily ignoring her comment as he kept his eyes on the closing doors and away from her.

"So, I was thinking we could catch a movie tonight. You said you wanted to see that old slasher flick they're playing at the Pantages Theater down the street." The elevator dinged again and the doors slid open and they moved into the front lobby. "We should go tonight."

"Really? I thought you hated slasher flicks?"

"Well, this one looks good," he said defensively as he held the lobby door open for her and they walked out into the tree lined street of their brownstone neighborhood. Elle's brow rose in amusement. He was acting so strangely all of a sudden! And then it hit her why and Elle's footsteps ground to a halt, causing Gabriel to bump into her from behind. She whirled to face him. He recoiled slightly at the sight of her overly bright eyes.

"What?" he asked her warily. Her mouth opened but nothing came out as she stared at him in dawning comprehension. "Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked in a worried tone as a glow lit up her face.

"I can't go with you tonight, Gabriel. I promised Peter I'd come to his party." Elle blurted out breathlessly and then held her breath. Gabriel blinked at her in surprise and then looked away for a moment, his mouth pressed into a thin line. He continued past her down the street, forcing her to practically jog to keep up with his long stride.

"You know Peter throws the lamest parties. I'm saving you from a night of playing Pictionary with his parents and that stiff older brother of his."

"Ugh, he did say his family would be there, didn't he and - hey!" Elle looked up at his profile in surprise. "How did you know that? Gabriel...were you _eavesdropping _on us?" She said with a grin in her voice. She was practically running now as Gabriel picked up his pace. The butterflies had revived in her stomach and were now jumping up and down on pogo sticks.

"Hardly. You two were talking so loudly the entire floor heard you." He was lying! It was so obvious.

"Um hm, sure." She could barely contain the grin that was threatened to overtake her face. Gabriel was jealous. _Jealous_! Of another man. Over _her_. Saints be praised, there was a God!

A barrage of thoughts ran through her head as she listened to Gabriel abruptly change the subject and talk about a new restaurant that had opened down the street that they should hit for lunch. She followed along with half an ear as a plan began to form in her head.

Gabriel had always been a bit protective of her but it was something that she had always just taken for granted. After all, she tended to inspire that type of feeling in men - being small and cute had that perk. But this was something else. Gabriel was actually _jealous _jealous, not just over protective.

And by God, she was going to turn this latest development to her advantage if it was the last thing she did.

By the end of the night, she was going to have him breathing fire with jealousy.

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_AN: *Covers face with hands and peeks out* _

_Dare I ask what you lovely readers think?  
_


	6. Chapter 6

_AN: Thank you to all my lovely readers! Your reviews keep me happy. Seriously, seriously happy. ;)  
_

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**Chapter 6**

"Really, Gabe, you don't need to come with me," Elle said for the third time just to get a rise out of him as she plopped herself onto her worn white couch and adjusted her strappy red shoes. She had chosen to wear a slightly more revealing than usual outfit tonight but had already wrapped herself up in a warm, cream and black plaid, calf length peacoat by the time Gabriel had arrived at her door. From the corner of her eye, she carefully watched his face stiffen and had to work to suppress a grin. There was no way she was going to that party without him but he didn't need to know that.

"Of course I'm coming with you," he said firmly. "How else are you going to be able to leave early so we can see _Attack of the Killer Clowns_?" Elle snickered.

"I could always just fake a stomach ache and bail out," she reasoned. She was an expert faker.

"Elle, if anyone's going to fake an illness, it's going to be me. Peter doesn't give a crap if I live or die."

She chuckled at his dour face. He really had no idea how cute he was being.

"Now, that's just not true, Gabriel," Elle stated in mock indignation. "He's a nurse. That means he cares about everyone. I'm pretty sure that even includes you." At this, Gabriel stopped flipping through the magazines on her kitchen table and looked up at her with his eyebrow quirked indignantly. How he was able to convey indignance with just one eyebrow, she wasn't sure. She gave him her most innocent look.

"It's true, Gabriel. I'm sure he'd give you the exact same care that he would any other faceless stranger."

"How nice for me," he commented dryly. Elle watched as his eyes went dark with annoyance. It was so easy to get him riled up lately. He noticed her snickering and rolled his eyes. "Ready to go, yet? The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave."

"Patience, Gabe. Perfection takes time." Elle rose from her seat and gave him a wink on her way past him to her bedroom. She saw his lips twitch in amusement despite himself. When she was in her bedroom and safely out of his line of sight, she gripped the top of her vanity weakly and took a deep breath as she sagged against it. Oh god, he looked so good tonight! He was wearing a black wool coat and dark jeans that hugged him perfectly. And his hair! She'd never seen him style it like that before. She loved the adorable side part he normally wore but tonight he had it slicked up into a spiky little 'do that was just begging to be mussed. Did he even realize what he was doing to her?! _Breathe, Elle, breathe_, she told herself and took five deep, calming breaths to pull herself back together. When she was feeling collected enough, she smoothed her hand down the front of her coat, quickly grabbed her purse off the top of the vanity and walked out to where he was still leaning against her kitchen table to hook her arm in his. "All set!"

Gabriel smiled down at her and she took a moment to enjoy the sensation of his arm tucked snuggly next to her own. Even their arms were a perfect fit! From this close, she could smell the subtle scent of his aftershave and allowed herself one tiny little, surreptitious breath of it. Her toes immediately curled in pleasure and her eyes slid shut. _Good grief. _He smelled so good! His aftershave was faint but there was something just so…_manly_ about it. It made her want to stand up on her tip toes and just bury her face in his neck. And just like that, her fingers began to gently caress the fine black wool of his coat sleeve all on their own. She felt him shift slightly as he drew her arm in closer to his, like he always did, with his other hand.

"Tired, Elle?" she heard him murmur as the back of his hand ghosted over her forehead and continued to the side to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes opened to see him peering down at her intently and she returned his look with a dreamy smile. "Do you want to stay in after all?" he asked hesitantly. She immediately snapped back into awareness. They were definitely not staying in! Not when she was hoping a night out amongst other people, specifically handsome Petrelli people, would galvanize him into admitting that he felt more than a best buddies type of affection for her.

"No! No, of course not. I promised Pete I'd be there. So we have to go," she responded, setting off at once and all but dragged his reluctant body through the door. As nice as their nights staying in were, she did not need another best buddies movie night with him at the moment. Hanging out with him casually for the last couple of years and being "one of the guys" had gotten her nowhere. It was time to show Gabriel how very attractive she could be to the opposite sex. She had heard that nothing made a girl more appealing than being desired by other people and she was banking on it. So what if she was being a bit of a coward when it came to letting Gabriel know how she felt? The solution to her problem was obvious. _He _needed to instigate things between them. It was only fair after all. She had all but thrown herself at him earlier and he hadn't even noticed! Well, she would be sure to give him a show that he would not be able to miss tonight.

"Ten minutes," he groaned as they neared Peter's door.

"The movie doesn't even start for another two hours. Let's just stay for one hour and then we can go."

"_An hour?_ Are you kidding me? Twenty minutes tops. That's enough time for you to say hi to everyone, get a drink, congratulate Peter, and for us to leave before he breaks out the board games."

"We don't want to be rude! We have to stay for at least thirty minutes. And don't even pretend you're too cool for board games! Who was the one who made me stay up until two AM last month just so you could bankrupt me at Monopoly? _But_," Elle raised her voice, cutting off his protests as he opened his mouth. "If you really can't stand sharing the same breathing space as Peter Petrelli for a measly thirty minutes, you don't have to go. I can come pick you up afterward if you want." His mouth closed with a snap and his jaw set. Elle smiled at him and batted her eyelashes prettily. They both knew she had won. They were in front of Peter's door now and Elle could hear music and laughter coming from the other side. She was just about to raise her hand to knock when Gabriel swiftly turned her around and pushed her up against the door, bracing both of his hands on either side of her face. She froze in surprise. His brow was furrowed and he was looking at her with a mixture of consternation and affection and something else that she didn't dare put a name to. He leaned in ever so slightly until they were nearly touching and Elle sucked in a sharp breath.

"Thirty minutes and don't you_ dare _leave me alone with him," he growled in a soft, low tone that she had never heard from him before and her mouth softly dropped open into a tiny "o".

His voice had never sounded so sexy. Correction - _no one's_ voice had ever sounded so sexy.

She sagged against the door as his commanding gaze locked with hers and his tall form loomed over her. His hard, long body was so very close to her own and his eyes trapped her as effectively as his arms. The combination of his scent, his gaze and his nearness all worked to turn her into jelly.

He bent even closer and the tips of her bangs brushed the side of his face as he brought his lips to her ear. "You owe me for this, Elle," he murmured and she could _hear _the smile in his voice. She owed him?? Owed him _what_?? There was no way he could possibly mean what she thought he meant. All that innuendo in his voice…it had to be her imagination. Didn't it?

A strangled whimper escaped her. He was going to be the death of her.

"Thirty minutes." And then he reached down with his hand and abruptly twisted the door open. Elle felt it fall away from her as the noise of the party erupted around them but instead of falling, she felt Gabriel's arms slide around her waist, bringing her downward momentum to a quick halt as he easily caught her in a dip. She grabbed onto his arms in panic and quickly looked up to see him smirking down at her, his eyes alive with laughter. Her mouth worked for a moment but nothing came out. The cheeky bastard was laughing at her! From over her shoulder, applause and whistles broke out amongst Peter's guests and Peter's uncertain voice cut through. Elle turned her head to look at him from a semi-upside down position.

"Elle, that was...quite an entrance. Are you all right?" Still wrapped up in Gabriel's arms, she felt the rumble of his quiet laughter and was torn between wanting to elbow him in embarrassment or maybe just closing her eyes and enjoying that delicious rumble for a few more seconds…she settled for glaring at him.

"Hey, Pete -" she started.

"You know Elle – always falling at the wrong time," Gabriel answered for her as he set her on her feet, his arm snaking around her shoulders and pulling her up against his side. She turned her head to give him a death glare but the intimate smile that he sent her way was so arresting that she couldn't help but smile right back as a wave of warm flooded through her. The way he was looking at her, it was the same way he always did and yet..not. There was a message in those eyes. And then Peter's cool voice broke through the moment.

"Right," Peter uttered calmly, staring directly at Gabriel, who lifted his eyes from Elle's to smile blandly at him. "Nice to see you, Gabriel. Didn't think you were coming."

"Oh, I hope you don't mind, Pete. I invited -"

"Well, Elle needed _someone _to keep her company." Elle blinked at Gabriel's pleasant tone as he cut her off again. He never cut her off - and now he had done so twice in the same minute.

"That's real thoughtful of you, Gabe. But I can assure you she wouldn't have been lonely," Peter replied in the same friendly voice.

"Well, Elle's a girl who grows bored pretty easily." She looked between the two and noticed they had matching, genial smiles on their faces as they stared at each other over her head, completely ignoring her.

"Yeah, I'm sure you'd know. You both have been such good _friends _for such a long time."

The odd smiles on their faces grew wider as they chuckled at each other in an overly friendly fashion and Elle began to shift uncomfortably in Gabriel's tight grip. His arm didn't budge.

"Speaking of friends," Peter continued, "there's some people who wanted to meet Elle. You don't mind if I steal a quick minute of her time, do you Gabe?" And with that, Peter reached out with his hand, clearly moving to take Elle's arm.

"Of course not. Elle and I love meeting new people," Gabriel answered quickly, tightening his steel like grip and imperceptibly pulling her away. Peter's hand dropped. And then, strangely, they both laughed good-naturedly again. Elle glanced between their two stiffly smiling faces uneasily as a sinking feeling settled in her stomach.

Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea after all.

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_AN: Oh Elle, you could have saved yourself so much trouble if you'd just listened to what Gabriel was saying when he asked if you wanted to stay in. *sigh*  
_

_I imagined Elle in a beautiful Burberry vintage plaid coat I found online but won't let me post the link! Le sigh. Let me know if you want the link.  
_

_Gabriel I kinda saw in the outfit he was wearing at the top of NYC in Season 1 when he is playing with his new radiation power. So hot! I loved that outfit. We need more of that although I will settle for hot SWAT gear any day.  
_


	7. Chapter 7

_AN: Several people have asked for a Gabriel POV chapter. This is not it. But I may do that in the future. Who knows. For now, I like leaving his thoughts a bit of a mystery. Anyhoo, I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter. I thought long and hard about posting it...like always._

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**Always 7**

Looking back and forth between Peter and Gabriel as they engaged in a game of verbal tennis was not how Elle had envisioned spending her evening. Her eyes boggled as the two most mild mannered men she knew traded thinly veiled barbs with each other. They certainly weren't friends but they had at least always been cordial before! Gabriel's new hostility she could understand. She had been talking about Peter nonstop all day just to see if she could get a rise out of him. Judging by his stiff face and the Vulcan death grip he had on her, it was mission accomplished on that front. But Peter's hostility, however, was totally uncalled for. Why in the world was he acting like – oh, crap. No. It was impossible. Totally and absolutely unbelievable.

Wasn't it?

Elle thought back on all the times he had "accidentally" run into her outside her apartment door (they didn't even live on the same floor!), or how he was always asking if she wanted to meet up for brunch, or that time he had driven her to work for a week straight when Gabriel's car was in the shop and she had sprained her ankle and couldn't take the subway (even though he worked in the opposite direction). What was _wrong_ with her? It was all so clear now! How could she have possibly missed it? All this time, she had been moping around because Gabriel couldn't get a clue if his life depended on it and she had been doing the exact same thing to Peter.

Peter, easy going, pretty Peter Petrelli had feelings for her. Good grief, she really was clueless.

And now, she was sandwiched between them as they played a game of tug of war with her as the rope. Either way it ended, she had a feeling she would end up in the mud. It had definitely been a mistake to come here tonight. Why, oh why, had she ever thought that using Peter to make Gabriel jealous was a good idea? Chatting up to Peter harmlessly when he was oblivious to her was one thing but leading him on when he had feelings for her was another story…he was too nice of a guy for that. She couldn't play that game with him.

It was time to set things straight before things went too far. She looked up again to see that they were still trading snippy comments.

"Coke!" she interrupted loudly. They both finally turned to her in surprise, as if just remembering that she was even still there, and she gave them a beaming smile. "It's so warm in here and I would _love_ a coke, please. Gabriel, would you get me one?" He blinked at her and before he could say another word, she slipped her hand on top of the hand that he still had anchored to her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Please?" His lips pressed into a thin line but he reluctantly nodded.

"Sure…I'll be right back." He gave her one last searching look and sent an unreadable glance Peter's way before disappearing into the crowd of guests to find the drink table. She breathed a sigh of relief and turned to face Peter. He smiled at her with his crooked, puppy dog grin and she winced inside at what she was about to say.

"Elle, I'm really glad you came. We never get to hang out and now that I'm done with school, I'll have a lot more free time."

"Actually, Peter –"

"Oh, hey, where are my manners? It _is_ really hot in here. Let me take your jacket for you."

"Huh? Oh, sure," Elle said, turning around to shrug out of her coat distractedly while she tried to form the words to let Peter down easy. He pulled the coat down off her shoulders and she twisted back around to face him. He had a stunned look on his face. Elle watched as his hands began clutching convulsively onto her jacket and she winced – that was an expensive coat! "Peter, are you alright?" As she watched, a slow, goofy smile enveloped his face and Elle took a step back in alarm. He took a step forward at the same time.

"Elle, you look amazing," he breathed reverently and all of a sudden she remember _exactly_ what it was she had on. She was wearing a tight, form fitting red dress with a deep v-cut in the front and her hair curled and swept up to the side to show off her bare neck. And from the look on Peter's face, he was under the impression that it was especially for him. His eyes were lit up like it was Christmas morning or something! _Oh, no...no, no, no!_ Elle lifted her hands to put some space between them, her eyes wide.

"Peter! It's not what you think! About Gabriel and I –"

"That's such a relief to hear! I thought maybe…well, that doesn't matter. I know we really don't know each other but –"

"Um, I think you're misunderstanding me –"

"– I'd love to take you out sometime and –"

"That's the thing, Pete. I don't –"

"– I think you know I've always been attracted to you, Elle and –"

"Peter, please let me _finish_," Elle said as Peter began to move closer and closer despite her best efforts to keep him at a distance. She had nervously backed up in a zigzag pattern, avoiding people and chairs, and now found herself trapped up against a wall. Peter was leaning in ever closer and Elle felt sick and irritated at the sight of his happy, school boy smile. There was nowhere left for her to move and he was totally disrespecting her personal space! She looked over his shoulder to see if Gabriel was anywhere in sight but of course Peter was much too tall for her to see anything. Why had she been born with these short, stumpy legs!? There were so many people squeezed into the apartment, it would be a miracle if he was able to spot her all the way in the corner of the room.

Peter loomed over her with one arm filled with her jacket and the other pressed against the wall above her head and she couldn't help but think about how much nicer it had been when Gabriel had done it. Where the hell was he anyway? _'I'll be right back' my ass!_

"Peter, stop," she said firmly and put her hands up near his chest to keep him from coming any closer. "I'm trying to tell you that…I'm sorry but, I just don't feel that way about you." God, it was such a relief to get that out! "You're a great guy but…I think we should just stay friends."

He frowned at her. "You want to be friends," he said flatly.

"Yes," she nodded rapidly, nearly sagging with relief at his understanding. She had thought for a moment that he was going to kiss her. What a disaster that would have been!

"Elle, just how many guy friends do you have?"

"Uh," she looked at him askew. "I don't see how that's relevant…"

"I happen to know that's _all_ you have. You haven't been seeing anyone in years. I know you've had a lot of bad luck with guys before –"

"Hey!"

" – but you need to take a chance again. And I care about you. A lot. I think I could really make you happy." He was being completely sincere.

The sad thing was, if Gabriel wasn't in the picture, she might have given him a chance. But Gabriel _was _around so it was never going to happen.

"One chance to change your mind, that's all I'm asking for. If you don't feel anything after this, I'll understand," he said, leaning a fraction closer.

"After _what_?" she said suspiciously.

"This," he answered simply.

And then Peter leaned in to kiss her.

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_AN: Eep! Why do I feel the need to hide after every chapter?_


	8. Chapter 8

_AN: Some of you have asked about the progress of my other story, Mr. & Mrs. Gray. It's not on hold, I just have a hard time working on two things at once so if I update Always, it means that you won't get anything for M&M Gray and vice versa. Right now I'm waiting for more inspiration before I write M&M Gray so you'll be getting a lot more of Always. Hope that's okay!_

_Hope you guys like this chapter._

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**Always 8**

"One chance to change your mind, that's all I'm asking for. If you don't feel anything after this, I'll understand," Peter said, leaning a fraction closer.

"After what?" she said suspiciously.

"This," he answered simply.

And then Peter leaned in to kiss her.

Two things happened at that moment. One, Elle saw the kiss coming from a mile away and with an undignified squeak, let her legs turn into jelly and slid down so quickly that all Peter's lips smacked against was the wall. And two, Elle's luck being what it was, Gabriel chose that exact moment to return. First, she noticed his shoes and then her eyes apprehensively followed his jean clad legs up his long body to see him standing behind Peter, his face hard with anger.

He swiftly pulled Peter away from Elle's slumped figure.

"I think Elle has made it pretty clear how she feels about you," he told Peter coldly. "Now let me make it clear how _I_ feel."

"Gabriel, don't!" Understanding immediately the bloodshed that was about to occur, Elle sprang up right as Gabriel drew his fist back to pummel Peter in the face. Jumping in front of Peter, she threw herself at Gabriel, hugging him tightly around his neck. Instead of swinging at Peter like he was obviously itching to do, Elle felt his arms close around her briefly before he swore and she was forcefully pushed away. She landed with a yelp on top of a nearby couch with her face in the cushions and her thong clad butt in the air as her dress tangled around her waist. At the same time, she heard the resounding crack of a fist connecting with bone and Gabriel's pained grunt.

All around her, Peter's guests began screaming and stampeding.

_Mother f***!! __Thank God I wore underwear today._ Righting herself and quickly pulling her dress back down, she turned to see that Peter had hit Gabriel after she had jumped in the way. Gabriel's lip was split and the two of them were grappling each other as they slammed into chairs and walls and all of Peter's guests scrambled to get out of their way. Why wasn't anyone trying to pull them apart? _As always, if you want something done right…_

"You're acting like idiots!" she yelled at them, scrambling to get close enough to pull them apart without getting an elbow to the face. She turned to the closest person next to her. "Help me pull them apart," she told him urgently. The dark haired man who vaguely resembled Peter just shrugged at her.

"You should just let them work it out themselves. It'll be better that way." She glared at him until he put his hands up and backed away. "What? This is a new suit!"

"You're worthless!" Elle sneered. She turned back to see that Gabriel and Peter were rather the worse for wear but were still angrily punching at each other. Their clothes were torn and their faces and knuckles were bruised and bleeding. "Gabriel, you need to stop! Peter!" This wasn't like them at all! "Peter, you're a _nurse _for shit's sake!" They continued to ignore her. She took a deep breath and then lunged in between them, screwing her eyes tightly shut as she latched onto Gabriel's waist. She felt Peter's fist strike her temple and cried out in pain. The idiot! How could she have ever thought he was a nice guy?

"Elle!" They both yelled, immediately jumping apart. She sagged in relief against Gabriel and groaned. He picked her up and went to place her down on the nearest sofa. Elle blinked her eyes and his worried features slowly swam into focus above her.

"Oh, Elle..." Gabriel murmured, his eyes twin pools of torment as he gingery stroked her face.

"Urrgh...I think I need to lay down."

"You are laying down," Gabriel said with a frown.

"Oh."

"Elle...I didn't mean to...I'm sorry..." she heard Peter spout anxiously from behind Gabriel. At the sound of Peter's voice, Gabriel's face above her contorted into a mask of utter hatred.

And then, before the horrified eyes of Elle and all of Peter's guests, Gabriel turned and viciously slugged Peter right in the face. Elle gasped as twin fountains of blood squirted out of his nose and he went down like a limp sack of potatoes. There was stunned silence in the room for a moment and then all the women in the room began wailing. Elle vaguely thought she heard a female voice scream something along the lines of "_no, not his face_!" but she was too groggy to tell who it was.

Leaving Peter laid out on the floor like a fallen log, Gabriel calmly turned and picked up her purse from where it had dropped sometime during their fight and stuffed it into the inside of his jacket. Then he turned to her and gently lifted her up from the sofa.

"You shouldn't have done that," she reprimanded him unhappily.

"I know."

"Is he dead?" she asked him only half jokingly, lolling her head against his collar bone.

Turning, he kicked Peter in the side and Peter let out a low moan. "No," he replied into her hair, stepping over Peter's body.

She saw five women quickly rush to surround Peter, moaning and fretting over his comatose form and making him as comfortable as possible by shoving her coat under his head. Elle winced but under the circumstances, decided not to object. She sighed. At least she didn't have to worry about him being looked after. The cougar who she knew to be Peter's mother was amongst the clump of women surrounding him and there had to be at least a dozen other nurses in the room. Gabriel calmly walked past them all, glaring coldly, and they silently made way for him. The room was already buzzing with murmurs when they reached the front door and someone hastily opened it for them and then stopped Gabriel with a hesitant hand on his arm.

"I'm a doctor," he said cautiously. Gabriel nodded briefly and the doctor quickly checked over Elle. "She seems fine. No concussion. An ice bag and some rest should do it. Same for you." Gabriel nodded again in thanks and stepped out.

The door shut behind them and Elle closed her eyes, glad to be outside in the quiet of the hall. Her head ached...but she had never felt so secure wrapped up in Gabriel's arms like she weighed nothing. He was a bit scruffier than before but he still smelled so good. She left herself nuzzle just a little bit into his neck like she had been aching to do all night. He was lucky she was the forgiving sort. He was such an idiot, picking a fight with Peter over nothing.

"I can't take you anywhere," she complained.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"Why did you hit him anyway?"

"He hurt you." Her heart glowed a little at that. He always made it so hard to stay mad, even if he deserved it.

"Are you okay?" She reached up to touch the corner of his mouth and he winced.

"I'll be fine."

"Gabriel..."

"I'm good enough to carry you, aren't I?"

She was quiet for a moment and then, "Do you still want to catch that movie?"

He chuckled. "No movies for you, Elle."

She pouted and wrapped her arms more securely around his neck. "I'm tired, Gabe."

"I know. We're almost home," he murmured quietly, tenderly.

They were almost to her apartment when she spoke up again.

"You're right. Peter's parties are the lamest."

She drifted off to the sounds of his chuckles.

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_AN: Hope that fight was somewhat believable. Powers or no, in my world Gablar always wins._


	9. Chapter 9

_AN: Hello lovely readers! Thank you to those who continued to read and review and encouraged me to continue on with this story. Hopefully the next chapter won't take QUITE so long! _

_Umm...so it's been awhile since I wrote for this story. You guys will tell me if this is off track right?_

_Well, I hope it isn't and I hope you guys enjoy! _

* * *

**Chapter 9**

_51…52…53…54…__ Wait, that last one doesn't really count – it fell off the board. Oh sweet mother of merciful mayhem! This isn't working at all!_

Elle swiveled around in her squeaky desk chair and threw a rather sticky pink straw down on a sheaf of papers covered in bored squiggles. Her elbows quickly followed, thumping down on the desk as she dropped her face in her hands and sighed. Even covering her cubical wall in dozens of slushee covered spit wads wasn't enough to cheer her up today. Usually she loved coming in to work but lately she had been in a bit of a slump and this particular day seemed like it couldn't go by any slower. And it was all because of...

"Why all the sighs, firecracker?"

"Ugh, I can't concentrate." Elle looked up to see Hiro picking a tiny, crumpled pink paper wad off of his glasses.

"Uh, sorry. Didn't think those were going over the wall."

"This is not about that boy again is it?"

Elle reburied her face in her arms and groaned. She should have never told Hiro about Gabriel! She had been getting sad, annoyingly sympathetic looks from him all week, every time he passed by her cubical. And not only that, she had started to notice some strange looks from her other co-workers as well. People who she had never even spoken to before were coming by to ask her how she was. Some of them sounded sincere and some looked like they were sharks scenting the water for blood. At was all very weird and was starting to make her a bit twitchy.

"Ando and I were talking about your problem, and I think we can help," Hiro stated with gusto.

"What do you _mean_ Ando and you were talking?" Elle asked slowly. "Did you tell him about…?"

"Well, of course I told Ando. We have been very worried about you. Everyone has been."

"Hiro! I told you about that in confidence!" As Hiro's words penetrated her slushee fuddled brain, Elle froze. "Wait – what's this 'everyone'?"

"Well, I told Ando and he told –"

"Nooo!" Elle moaned, burying her head again. No wonder she was getting so much sympathy. Of all the humiliating things that could happen! If word about her pathetic attempt at exercising her feminine wiles got out – indeed, if any information AT ALL about her love life got out - she could only imagine what would happen. In fact, this reminded her horrifyingly of something that happened to that poor intern in marketing last year. "Hiro," Elle began urgently, "please tell me you didn't tell that idiot in PR about this."

"Who? Adam?"

"Yes, him, Adam - the blond with the grabby hands. The smarmy womanizer who has it out for me. _Please_ tell me you didn't tell him."

"No, I didn't tell him."

_Oh thank God!_

"But I think Ando did."

_No!!!_

Elle jumped up and grabbed Hiro by the lapels of his brown zip up jacket. "_Do you realize what you've done!_" She gave him a vigorous shake and watched as his head bounced from side to side and his glasses slipped down to lie crookedly against his left cheek.

"Itai! Stop that!"

"Hiro! He has had it out for me ever since last year's picnic! Do you know what he does to people who get on his bad side?" Hiro slapped futilely at her hands on his jacket as Elle's grip tightened. "Do you?" She shook him again. "Do you??"

"Ie! Let go, firecracker! You are making me dizzy!"

"He ran that poor sales assistant right out of the office last year with rumors that _she_ was actually a _he_! And that graphics designer who had to quit because HR somehow found out about his supposed relationship with his boss – who Adam has had his eye on for forever! Not to mention that little intern who he started a betting pool on last year –"

At this, Hiro flushed abashedly. "Uh…oh yes…I forgot about that."

Elle's eyes narrowed. "Hiro, is there something you are not telling me?"

"Oh, it is nothing you need to worry about…"

"Tell me!" She pulled at him until they were nearly nose to nose. She saw him swallow nervously as he focused on her with slightly crossed eyes.

"Well, yes…there may be betting pool going on. But don't worry, firecracker - I put my money on you getting a date for this year's office party. Unlike last year. And the year before that."

Elle's face went through a series of colors ranging from puce to prune and everything in between before she finally hissed, "_Thanks_, Hiro. Really. Your vote of confidence is inspiring." He immediately beamed in relief, completely missing her sarcasm.

"And it's ten to one odds against you. I will make a fortune!"

"Just how many people are in this pool?" Elle asked dangerously.

"In this office or including the Ohio and Texas branches?"

Elle stared at him with huge, horrified eyes. "What do you MEAN the Ohio and Texas branches?? This is unbelievable!"

"I know!" Hiro responded with relish. "It's replaced the weight loss contest in activities with the highest employee participation!"

"Oh my god…I think I am going to be sick..."

"Now, now firecracker...it is nothing to be upset about. It is an honor. We really believe this is going to be your year."

"Then why are there ten to one odds???"

"Well…it is true you do not have a very good track record. But with a little help, that could all change."

"What are you talking about, Hiro?"

"Ando and I have a plan!"

"Noooo," Elle groaned, putting her face into her hands. "No plans, no more plans!"

"But-"

"No, Hiro. I told you all about what happened at Peter's party last week. I'm no good at this man/woman subterfuge stuff."

"That was because you did not have a partner to help you make your plan. You used faulty judgment," Hiro said sternly. "Now you have two partners! And this partner says using a man to make another man jealous can only end in misery."

"I know, I know…it was a stupid idea. I admit it. Sheesh." Elle closed her eyes, replaying the sad events of Peter's party over in her mind. She had ended up falling asleep as soon as Gabriel placed her into bed that night and when she had awakened in the morning, there had been a bottle of water and two aspirin sitting on her nightstand and no Gabriel. She had been so mortified by the whole ordeal that she had avoided both Gabriel and Peter for days afterwards. When she saw Gabriel again, she had pretended like the entire thing had never happened. And he never said a word about it either...

___

(Two days ago...)

Elle was holed up in her bedroom, under the covers with only the soft glow of her laptop to illuminate the room. She had been successfully avoiding Gabriel and Peter all week by leaving her apartment lights off, drawing the blinds and ignoring all calls and visitors. And jamming a chair under her doorknob just to be extra safe. As far as the world was concerned, Elle Bishop was Not AT Home. And yes, it was the kind of 'not at home' that required capitalization.

It wasn't that she was being chicken. Of course not. No way. She, Elle Bishop, just preferred to sit quietly in the dark. It was a perfectly logical preference. She was saving on her electric bill!

Elle jumped as a sudden loud knock on her door startled her. Hunching down even further she waited patiently for the person to go away. When no more knocking occurred, she eased back into bed and turned back to her laptop screen and slipped some headphones over her ears, cranking the music up. If she hadn't done that, she might have heard Gabriel's worried voice calling her name through the door. Or perhaps she would have heard his spare key turning in the lock. Yes, her music was turned up THAT loud. But it still wasn't loud enough to cover up the bang of splintering wood and cracking plaster as Gabriel broke down her door with enough force to send her carefully placed chair flying.

"Oh my God!" she squeaked, jerking in fear, arms and legs akimbo as she flung off her sheets and laptop to land in a tangled heap next to the bed. Light - bright, unwelcome light - flooded the room and blinded her and she shrieked in surprise and fear. She groped for the bat she kept next to her bed, ready to beat the living crap out of her attacker and swung blindly with the full force of her weight behind the blow in the general direction of a big, dark blur. It landed with a solid and meaty _thunk_.

"I gave you this bat so you could use it on _strangers_, Elle," a familiar voice grunted.

"Gabriel?" She blinked. The dark blur started to coalesce into black hair and a black coat with a large hand wrapped around the end of her baseball bat. She gasped and quickly let go, her hands fluttering up to cover her mouth. He gently set the bat down and flexed his hand, wincing slightly. "Gabriel! I'm so sorry! Your poor hand - I didn't know it was you. What are you doing here so late?" She looked out of her open bedroom door. "And what happened to my door?"

He flushed. "You didn't answer any of my messages. And you haven't been answering the door. I thought… I was worried about you."

"Oh."

"Yes, _oh_."

"I'm fine. I just...I've been working hard. I'm sorry I haven't been around." Guilt twisted in Elle's gut. He did look like he had been worried. What was wrong with her, ignoring him like that? She felt like scum. It was an unpleasant feeling.

He looked away morosely. When he looked back at her, his eyes were shuttered. "Well, you look like you're fine. Good night, Elle."

"Wait!" She immediately latched onto his sleeve and tugged. He didn't turn but he stopped. "You still owe me dinner," she blurted.

Gabriel turned around fully, his eyes incredulous and Elle thought for a minute that he was either going to shake her or kiss her. Her heart pounded in her chest. But he did neither. He stared at her like he was trying to read her mind.

"You would have gotten your dinner by now if you weren't so busy ignor—"

"So Saturday? Same time?" Elle interjected quickly. He signed heavily and looked heavenward before looking back at her. Elle smiled encouragingly, hating herself for slipping back into old habits and hoping alternately that A) he would call her on it and B) that he would just let her play groundhog for one more day – or at least until she was more mentally prepared. She slipped her arm through his and walked him to the front door, chattering about different places they could try and about how she had really been craving Greek lately. "And I hope you were planning on fixing this door, mister, because I am NOT going to sleep with it like this," she chastised, hands on hips, secretly beaming on the inside at finally getting him to crack a smile. For the next half hour, she watched him work to get her door to rights and they shared an easy banter that was almost like normal again.

When he left, Elle noticed that the jacket that she had abandoned at Peter's party was lying neatly clean and pressed in a dry cleaners garment bag on her couch.

___

(Present)

"Firecracker, the only way to win this boy is to woo him with your womanly charms." Elle almost laughed at the determined way in which Hiro said "womanly charms" but was too aghast by the thought of Hiro and Ando helping her to prepare said womanly charms to do more than croak. "We are going to give you a super special make-over! Sure to wow any man!"

"Uhh, it's not that I don't appreciate it, Hiro, but I just don't think you and Ando are the best choice to, umm...help me...with something like that."

"Why not?"

"Wellll...you're not exactly...the most fashion forward yourself..."

Elle cringed at Hiro's affronted look. His back straightened and his mouth pursed. Elle fidgeted in her seat but decided to continue anyway. _In for a penny, in for a pound…_

"And you don't even know Gabr – uh, him. So how could you know what he likes?"

"Oh, Firecracker." Hiro turned pitying eyes on her, his mouth quirking up at the corners into a kind but patronizing smile. "That will not be a problem. He is a man. It is obvious what he wants."

Elle wasn't so sure about that. She sighed dejectedly and buried her face in her hands. When she peeked out again from between her fingers, Hiro was still standing next to her desk, patiently waiting. _Well, what've I got to lose? NOTHING could be worse than the slump I'm in right now." _

"Alright, Hiro," she said grudgingly. "What have you got in mind?"

"Yosh!" Hiro actually jumped for joy and fist pumped. "You won't regret this!" he said quickly, dragging her from her cube with one hand and texting something to Ando with the other. "Ando will meet us in the lobby," he interjected, ignoring the fact that it was only ten AM and they had only been at work for two hours. Guess there were perks to being the boss's kid. "First, we go shopping! Then, we work on...body language! After we are done with you, I guarantee, he will be eating out of your hands!"

As Hiro hauled Elle along towards the building elevator, gesticulating wildly with one hand and expounding upon the merits of bright spandex and its wondrous effects upon the female form, a feeling that felt suspiciously like dread began to creep over her.

Elle had been wrong. Apparently, things could be worse. Much worse.


End file.
